Tag: gangs

March 12 (UPI) -- Paraguay is considering the use of its armed forces to control detention centers housing the Brazilian gangs leading recent prison riots in the country. Vice President Hugo Velazquez, acting on behalf of President Mario Abdo, who traveled to meet with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, said officials are considering using the army to help dissuade violence. "We are going to use the armed forces dissuasively outside the jail, so as to avoid these things," he said. The recent incidents involve inmates in Paraguay that belong to the First Capital Commando criminal band, which operates in Paraguay and Brazil. The group has nearly 300 inmates in Paraguay. On Monday, the group took four jail guards hostage at the Concepcion jail. Released after several minutes, one of freed...

Police data reveals there has been a 30% increase in car thefts over the past three years, as thieves bypass modern vehicle security systems.Security experts believe the rise is partly down to criminal gangs catching up with technology, with police footage released in November showing how they were able to steal vehicles without needing keys.Many cars now have a push button fob instead of a traditional metal key, but these new devices can sometimes be compromised.Video:Thieves steal car in 'relay crime'Steve Launchbury, of Thatcham Research, told Sky News: "As the car is more digitally connected, obviously that opens it up to new types of criminality."When you have keyless-type vehicles where you physically just press a button and walk away, you've got the risk now of the signal being capt...

July 1 (UPI) -- At least 19 members of rival gangs died in a shootout with police in Mexico's western Sinaloa state, state prosecutors said.The clashes resulted in injuries to five police officers Friday night.The confrontation started around 8:15 p.m., when members of one gang allegedly killed two people from a rival gang in Villa Union. Police then chased the gunmen and engaged in a shootout in Aguaje, where 17 gang members were killed.Police seized some two dozen weapons and three vans from the gang members.Both local and state police investigated the shootout.Violence in Sinaloa state has surged in the past several months after the extradition of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. His transfer to the United States has created a leadership vacuum.There w...